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MIDSEASON LOOK AT THE DEFENSE
BY RAMMED FOR LIFE (Nov 10)

St. Louis Rams linebacker London Fletcher (58) signals a safety after he tackled Detroit Lions running back in the end zone in first quarter action at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich., Sunday, Nov. 7, 1999. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

THE MOST IMPRESSIVE UNIT. The most impressive unit of our team right now is not the one we expected to shine.

When I think of the Rams right now, the unit that warms my heart the most is the one that is traditional for the Rams: the DL. I am so proud of Grant Wistrom right now that my shirt buttons are popping.

Here is a guy that was widely written off as a bust last year. He was dismissed as weak against the run ("too small"---myth!). I myself profoundly questioned his ability to get penetration to the QB on a regular basis. Not only has he proven to be very tough against the run (which I am proud to say I did maintain all along) but he has also shown he can get that explosive penetration to the QB, even against some very good OTs.

But more than all of that, he has shown incredible playmaking instincts. His ability to read a screen and get out there to wreak havoc is amazing. He is the ideal DE for a zone blitz. He makes plays for losses all the time. On a twist stunt, he is lightning getting through the gap and on the QB. (I wish we did that more often.)

Meanwhile, Ray Agnew has proven over and over again that he CAN stuff the run. On twists, he shows amazing speed for a DT cutting off the roll out. He makes a perfect partner for Farr, whose ability to disrupt is always something for teams to have to scheme against.

Kevin Carter is having a very good year. When he is on, he is awesome. I do buy into the idea, though, that he is not 100% consistent. Yet he is truly an elite DE and people seldom run against him.

Even the backups are productive. Zgonina makes a lot of plays, as does Jay Williams.

LINEBACKERS. Talking of the D front, you must mention linebackers. Collins is a godsend. He stuffs the run better than anyone we have had in many years. Fletch is indeed growing into the MLB spot. He gets a little better each week and makes more plays. I am not quite convinced by the hype surrounding him, which seems to me somewhat premature, but I am much happier with him than I was a month ago, and I am starting to see a big upside there.

Again, you must mention depth, and Clemons has played very well for a back-up. (I wonder sometimes if he isn't more disruptive than Jones.)

If anyone had any doubts about our run-stuffing ability, they should just forget it. Eddie George did nothing on the ground with a big lead. We STUFFED a talented Greg Hill in a very close game during which we were often behind.

And I promise you something: our pressure on the QB is very, very consistent. Our DEs are almost always within a foot or two when the QB releases the ball. That pressure can be better with a quality blitzer. Our LBs do not blitz all that well. I expect Leonard to make a big difference. When he blitzes, he will DISRUPT. Not only will he get sacks, but the others will get more as well.

Against Detroit, that defensive front succeeded in out-playing a Detroit DL that actually had a superb day. In that last, horrible drive, they got successive sacks to create that 4 and 26. They did their job magnificently--only to be let down not only by McCleon but by the decision to fiddle with the formation and rush only 3 + a LB.

Perhaps the play that crystallizes all this is the safety on Sunday. The play was set up by a great special teams effort, and the D made Detroit pay the price. The DL blew gaping holes in the Detroit front and Fletcher came up and made a huge play. Terrific! What a great, aggressive way to start off a big game. Give the O 2 points and the ball kicked from the 20.

Too bad the offense came out sloppy and it wasn't enough. That DL and LBs played well enough for ANY championship game.

THE SECONDARY. The most confusing thing about last week [against Detroit] was our DB breakdown. It did not FIT with what that unit has been doing this year. It looked more like last year in that they gave up big plays. But even last year, you could tell these guys could play.

Look: I have seen EVERY ONE of our CBs make plays this year--impressive, shut-down plays. Before Sunday, McCleon looked like our best CB. Taje Allen has made impressive plays--including Sunday. Todd Lyght looks like a top 4 CB MOST of the time. Drey Bly shows mistakes but also shows huge up-side.

Sunday, some of these guys looked like Juco castoffs. Same guys! It is hard to figure. Part of it is the nature of the position.

No other position is so wildly polarized. When a CB gets beat (i.e. fooled, not just out-jumped for a ball) , he looks miserable, horrible--even if he is all-pro. Not a single pro CB is spared the embarassment of being made to look like a jerk. (Did you see Deion Monday night? Pathetic!)

Yet, on another play, the same CB makes the read and makes the play.

So, in my view, it is a numbers game. You have to look at the good plays first. Some CBs CANNOT make them--they are overmatched all the time. (Hello, Whiners!) If a CB "often" makes big plays against the pass then the question is HOW OFTEN? All CBs will be burned at times. But if a guy is making the play 3/4 of the time, you have a keeper.

One false value, in my view, is "big plays," at least in the sense of INTs. A good CB may make few INTs because he is seldom tested or his tight coverage forces the QB to look elsewhere. Nor can you count on the INT. I'd rather have a high percentage of passes defended than a couple of INTs. Finally, the INT is often deceptive. Many INTs are gift-wrapped by QBs to DBs who may be in horrible position when they occur. Look at Ryan McNeil! He has had years with high INT numbers, but all Ram fans know he is a lousy cover corner.

Having said all that, I would rate our DBs very, very highly. They have looked really good all season. Even against Tenn I thought they played very well.

Basically, against Detroit, they had one bad day. That may be dismissable, to some extent. As I say, when a CB has a bad day he looks awful.

Yet I must confess I am worried about this Crowell guy. He gave us fits. He is tall and has some explosion, and we struggled to handle that. I DO NOT panic on this, because I have seen us deal effectively with Owens, Moss and others. But a part of me wonders if there is a ceiling here, if we will continue to struggle against explosive WRs like that. But then, in the end, I do discount most of that. Crowell is NOT a super star. We made him look like one, but the fact remains that we have effectively contained guys who are as good or better.

So---again---an in the end---my read, at this point, is that our CBs had a bad day. They may be a bit less superb than we imagined a couple of weeks ago, but I have seen too much evidence over too many weeks to weaken in saying that I STILL think this is one of the most impressive sets of CBs in the league. There may not be a superstar here, but as a unit these guys are deep, talented, and generally effective.